Went to the Atlantic City Friday night.
No traffic - two smooth hours on Greyhound out of Port Authority.
Music CD's on the trip were.....
REM- Automatic for the People
Tom Jones - Greatest Hits
Elton - Madman Across the Water.
I've never seen the TAJ MAHAL so crowded. Poker room wait lists were huge
The waiting board for 2-4 Texas Holdem was 30 DEEP.
The "railbirds" were everywhere....people wanting seats, but watching the action from a distance.
They called "FP 2/4 Holdem" way to soon.
Maybe there was another FP?
I did not care..I wanted to play and those were my damn initials so I said "HERE!" and they escorted me to a table.
Got on a table at 8:30pm Friday night. The Fish's were everywhere. They were Providers looking to play. That's why I chose the TAJ over the Tropicana where the play is much tougher. They were even playing Holdem at the stud tables, so it was kind of cramped. Stud table seats 8, Holdem seats 10.
Played well, but not disciplined enough. Was up about 50 bucks by 2am. Changed gears and entered another one-table Holdem satellite tournament.
Hung in there for an hour...was the fifth guy to exit this time out of 10. Went all-in with my pocket pair of Queens, only to get shot down on the river when a King hit and the guys Kings beat my Queens.
About 5am, I retreated to the stud table, because my hundred dollar bankroll was down to about 25.00. Played 7 card stud against a bunch of drunks and got most of the hundred bucks I started with back.
Got back to a 2-4 hold'em table at 8am....full well knowing that Saturday would be another crowded affair. In between, I took breaks, ate smoked cigars, BUT NEVER picked up the chips and left completely.
The current 2-4 Holdem table was played on the actual 10 person table, so I was now comfortably seated. There was this guy pounding screwdrivers all night and bet before the flop EVERY SINGLE TIME. It was unbelievable. He never met two cards he did not like. I started calling him the "Cal Ripken of Hold'em."
The tables were friendly, conversation hilarious at times.
The Fish's kept on coming. Bluffed a few of them out with nothing. The old Flush scare card. They bought it, I benefited.
Played all freaking day. Kept on checking the bus schedule, then saying "fuck-it" I've got no place to be.
I was having a ball taking the lead at the table. Me and Mr. Screwdriver were having fun. Everytime it was me and him at a showdown, he would kick my ass and take the pot. Then, I broke his trend and started schooling him.
Some guy from University of Georgia sat down...I shouted out "How about dem Dawgs !" He played well and had a pretty nice stack.
Played all day Saturday, into the evening. People were waiting up to 3 hours for a seat and this Poker room has over 100 tables.
I usually know when to quit, when I get the "bad beat," that is having a superior hand and losing it. Well, that happened about 9pm.
Was holding a King of spades and another card. Heavy round of betting before the flop....Out come three spades. I'm betting like I already have the flush.....Turn card (4th card) hits the board....Not a spade....I bet again, thin the field, down to two people, me and this lady next to me (with a big stack)....Here comes the river card (5th card).....a spade.....4 spades and I'm holding the king. No pair on the board...so the high flush is the "Nuts" or the best possible hand.
That's the key to holdem....determining the best possible hand based on the common cards that hit.
So, of course I bet the King High Flush.....the lady next to me goes "RAISE" and I think Holy shit, she's got the Ace and I'm about to lose. So, I call her raise, turn my king over and said to her "The Ace of Spades wins". And then in a slow motion surreal moment, she turns over the Ace and the pot is hers. I felt like Matt Damon losing to KGB in the movie "Rounders"
25 hours later, 6 mini-cigars, two slices of pizza, 2 packs of beer nuts, endless cups of coffee and a couple of O'doulls...I was done.
12 bucks in my pocket from the hundred.
As I was debating the cash machine, I heard the voice of Stevie Nicks during "Gold Dust Woman" singing
"Is it over now?
Do you know how
to pick up the pieces and go home?"
And I did. 10pm bus out of the Taj. My name was on it.
Cued up Grateful Deads "Europe 72". Fell sound asleep during Tennessee Jed....Slept all the way to NYC.
I Left the driving to Greyhound. It's a pretty safe ride. There is no terrorist in their right mind who is going to mess with a bus filled with gamblers.
Can't be disappointed with the outcome. Played a long long time. Was not a winner, but certainly not a loser.
You learn a lot about yourself and other people when you play Poker. Texas Holdem is the ultimate game yielding enormous satisfaction.
Definitely my version of Safe Sex in the new millennium. And even though the "cards speak" you never get in a fight with them.
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